Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Aaron Germain: Before You Go

251

Aaron Germain: Before You Go

By

View read count
Aaron Germain: Before You Go
The key to the eclecticism of Before You Go, bassist Aaron Germain's first album as leader, can be found in his stated aim as a musician: to be "picky about quality, not genre." Germain's ten original tunes take in straightforward hard bop, blues, Latin and funk styles—and the quality is always high.

Throughout the album, Germain's compositions take center stage. While the quality of his playing is obvious, Germain never uses the tunes simply to demonstrate his talent—neither does he push his own instrument too far to the front of the mix. The result is a beautifully balanced recording that gives all the musicians space to play.

Germain's core trio—Matt Clark on piano, Bryan Bowman on drums and Sheldon Brown on tenor sax—work perfectly with the bassist to create some excellent performances. Opening tune "Higashi Nakano" offers a prime example, with Germain and Bowman underpinning a delicate piano line from Clark before Brown enters with a smoky and sultry tenor. Germain adds a selection of guest musicians elsewhere, each one ensuring that their involvement adds to the atmosphere and authenticity of the tune. The finest example of this open approach is "Bellabou Baiao," a joyous tune driven by Germain's bass guitar and the dual accordions of Adrian Jost and Colin Hogan. Reminiscent of Hermeto Pascoal in its insistent, atmospheric and upbeat melody, its impact is immediate.

On the funky "Deep Breath" Germain again moves over to electric bass while Clark trades his piano for electric keyboards. Initially the musicians' virtuosity is to the fore, but there is a slight lack of warmth in the sound compared to their acoustic playing. Before long John Gove and Derek Smith enter on trombone and vibes. As a result, the warmth returns in spades, the guest musicians building up a solid groove over Bowman's driving percussion.

Germain is a busy and experienced "hired-gun." Before You Go demonstrates his ability as a writer and bandleader and clearly sets out his potential—it's a lovely album, imbued with talent, imagination and humanity.

Track Listing

Higashi Nakano; Deep Breath; Culebra; Admiral Drive; Lakefood; Bellabou Baiao; Amaenbou; Wrong Way Blues; Missed Your Meaning; Quiet Sunrise.

Personnel

Aaron Germain: bass; Matt Clark: keyboards; Bryan Bowman: drums; Jeff Marrs: drums; Phil Thompson: drums; Sheldon Brown: tenor saxophone, clarinet; Ricardo Peixoto: guitar; Matt Heulitt: guitar; John Gove: trombone; Derek Smith: vibraphone; Brian Rice: percussion; Adrian Jost: accordion; Colin Hogan: accordion.

Album information

Title: Before You Go | Year Released: 2010 | Record Label: Self Produced

Tags

Comments


PREVIOUS / NEXT



Aaron Germain Concerts


Support All About Jazz

Get the Jazz Near You newsletter All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.

More

Tramonto
John Taylor
Ki
Natsuki Tamura / Satoko Fujii
Duality Pt: 02
Dom Franks' Strayhorn
The Sound of Raspberry
Tatsuya Yoshida / Martín Escalante

Popular

Old Home/New Home
The Brian Martin Big Band
My Ideal
Sam Dillon
Ecliptic
Shifa شفاء - Rachel Musson, Pat Thomas, Mark Sanders
Lado B Brazilian Project 2
Catina DeLuna & Otmaro Ruíz

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.

Install All About Jazz

iOS Instructions:

To install this app, follow these steps:

All About Jazz would like to send you notifications

Notifications include timely alerts to content of interest, such as articles, reviews, new features, and more. These can be configured in Settings.